Month: November 2012

The Heart of the Matter

/ Jon / Leave a comment

Not a bad weekend to be an Ohioan.  An undefeated season for the Buckeyes is just another showing that Ohio is better than the other states.  Especially the one up north.

Sure, I’m biased.  My vision is colored in scarlet (and gray) colored glasses.  I am very proud of my state.  I love that Ohio has the most unique state flag.  Hearing Carmen Ohio chokes me up.  I want to go on a buckeye tree planting spree like some kind of modern Johnny Appleseed.  Jonny Buckeyenut?  It could work.

But look at history and the fact remains.  Ohio is one of the most influential states in the nation.

In 200 years, Buckeyes have firmly established their names in the history of our country.  And while every state will have their heroes, the number of Buckeyes seems to be concentrated.

Let’s start at the top of our national pyramid.  Presidents?  Seven.  More than any other state besides Virginia.  And they had a head start on us.  Ohio breeds leaders.

Speaking of leaders, Generals Sherman (Lancaster) and Grant (Point Pleasant) led the Union to ultimate victory over the Confederacy.  And when the war was over, they worked to rebuild the nation.  No vengeance or animosity towards those that fought against them.

“When peace does come, you may call on me for any thing,” Sherman said.

In the war rooms of the business world, Les Wexner (Dayton) is the latest in a line of influential Ohio businessmen stretching back to Rockefeller (grew up in Cleveland) and Marcus Hanna (New Lisbon).

America’s two pastimes have important roots here.  Baseball went professional with the Cincinnati Red Stockings.   And the NFL was born in Canton.  That heritage still holds strong.  Ohio is home to nine baseball teams between MLB and the major farm systems, and Ohio is second only to Texas in number of Division I FBS schools.

Ohioans push into new frontiers.  An Ohioan became the first man to fly.  And flying in the air was no longer a challenge.  So an Ohioan became the first to orbit the earth.  And when earth’s orbit was no longer big enough, an Ohioan became the first to step foot on the moon.

Look in any field and chances are you’ll find an Ohioan that made their mark.  Edison (Milan).  Bob Hope (grew up in Cleveland).  Jack Nicklaus (Upper Arlington).  Woody (Clifton).  Even Bo Schembechler (Barberton) and Brady Hoke (Dayton).  How bout that, Michigan?  Your legendary coach came from the great state of Ohio.

So when an East Coaster or West Coaster tries to play us off as flyover country, simply smile and say, “You’re welcome.”

Brass Railings, Silver Grilles, and the Golden Days of Cleveland Shopping

/ thisismycleveland / 1 Comment

We are happy to have a guest blogger with us today.  Callie Surrarrer, from Polka Dots and Leopard Spots, is a Cleveland-based fashion blogger.  With her knowledge of fashion history, she has written a piece on the history, and future, of Cleveland shopping.  Just in time for Black Friday:

“Where’s the store restaurant?”

That’s something you would’ve heard someone ask 50, 30, even 20 years ago at the Downtown Higbees.

“A restaurant??” you might be wondering.  Yes. A restaurant. In a department store.  Something not so unusual back then.  Most department stores came equipped with restaurants…and furriers, and milliners, and shoe shiners!  My, how far we’ve come here in Cleveland…and maybe not in a good way.

Downtown Cleveland used to be a Mecca for shopping.  We had Higbees, Halle’s, May Company.  So what happened?

Good question.  Growing suburbs? Politics? Economic downturn?  A combination perhaps?

Shopping in Cleveland is now limited to Tower City Center.  And when I say limited, I mean LIMITED…there’s really not much of a variety to choose from.  Tower City- located within the Terminal Tower, a beautifully designed Art Deco style building, has 3 floors of shopping and brass decoration, and includes the ever glamorous Ritz-Carlton, and Morton’s Steak House.  It’s also a convenient stop off of the city’s transit system-the Rapid.Tower City used to be the home of some very high end retailers, such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton…but right now, the retailers that take up Tower City are mostly no-name stores, a candy shop, and the seemingly out of place…Brooks Brothers.  Which brings up the valid point, why did Brooks Brothers survive?  It’s an established, higher end retailer and has been at the Tower City location for many years…but how did they survive and the equally as shoppable department stores and the like didn’t?The Higbee’s building, which was connected to Tower City, is now the home of our newest Cleveland addition, Horseshoe Casino.  Too bad Tower City and the surrounding locations are lacking reputable retailers, otherwise all those gamblers might spend their winnings at those (non-existent) locations, and actually keep the money in the local economy, which all of us Clevelanders know, is definitely needed.Cleveland is a metropolis with A LOT of potential.  We have a lakefront, we have a decent transit system, we have beautiful architecture, museums, an orchestra, botanical gardens, AND we have some AWESOME food-some of which are the creations of world renowned chefs.  We have all the resources to be something wonderful…like a Chicago, a D.C.  Cleveland could be a destination city.  We have it all, except the shopping.

Think about it, wonderful cities also come with some wonderful shopping.  Why can’t Cleveland?  We used to.  So who says 2012 Clevelanders don’t want the same retailers as Chicagoans or New Yorkers?  Personally, I’d love that!  Downtown Cleveland is much closer for me than the East Side…which is where all the good stuff now resides.

The East Side is home of the high end stores, the stores you walk past while strolling down Michigan Avenue in Chicago, or 34th in NYC.  Beachwood has Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Dillard’s (the once, Higbee’s) plus all the little stores inside Beachwood Place, like Sephora, J. Crew, L’Occitane, Banana Republic.

Now, over on the West Side, we’ve got the rather young Crocker Park.  An outdoor mall, if you will…a suburbia trend that has emerged over the past 10 years.  Crocker Park is a good day of shopping.  You’ve got some good restaurants, Cheesecake Factory, Brio, Michael Symon’s B. Spot, plus you have the stores…Barnes and Noble, Anthropologie, J. Crew, Banana Republic.  But Crocker Park is in the middle of Westlake, an outer Cleveland suburb. So there you have it, Downtown Cleveland shopping hasn’t disappeared…it’s relocated! To the suburbs!  But, who comes to Cleveland for say, a business trip, and then wants to go shopping in the suburbs?!  My guess is not many.  Right now, Cleveland’s main draw is the Medical Industry.  We’ve got the Cleveland Clinic, one of the BEST medical institutions in the WORLD.  I bet those doctors flying in to our great city wouldn’t mind a little bit of shopping R&R after a long day of conferences or performing surgery.

I’m sure many would agree that Cleveland is ready.  Cleveland is ready to be something even more.  Something really amazing.  And if we’d like to head in that direction, Cleveland needs a fashion makeover.  Literally.

It’s Still Yesterday in Cleveland

/ Derek / Leave a comment

As Cleveland moves forward into the future, it is important to remember where we have been and how we got there. This documentary from 1967 shows how cities like Cleveland were struggling or succeeding to redevelop their city centers. The video paints Cleveland’s redevelopment at the time in a poor light, and gives kudos to cities like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The contrast is especially interesting today given that many of us here in Cleveland do not consider both of those cities to being extremely well or better than Cleveland.

Check out the almost hour long video here: It’s Still Yesterday in Cleveland

Center Stage

/ Jon / Leave a comment

WVIZ showed a good program last night about the saving and renovation of Playhouse Square.  The program, called “Staging Success”, featured the dreamers and movers that made Playhouse Square a reality.

To me, Playhouse Square has always been there.  It’s hard to imagine a time when it was in danger of being turned into a parking lot.  As prominent as Playhouse Square is in the fabric of Cleveland, the program opened my eyes to what allowed this gem to become reality.

Imagine if we didn’t have those theatres, the second largest theatre complex in the United States.  $43 million per year that the city would lose, as reported by the program.  Imagine the gaping hole on Euclid Avenue between 14th and 17th.

It’s sad to think.  Not only the money and reputation, but the culture and art that would have never been.

Lucky for us, Ray Shepardson saw in those rundown movie houses what could be.  He found others that supported his vision, and the dream got legs.  Cleveland is much better for it.

This story gives us lessons we can still use.  First, the power a small group can have to pump life back into Cleveland.

Second, how something as simple as a theatre can be the catalyst to rejuvenate an entire neighborhood, along with the means to go about doing that.

Peter van Dijk, the architect in charge of the theatres’ redesign, worked with those at the Playhouse to envision a new neighborhood to surround the theatres.  From that idea, we now have that vibrant area along Euclid Avenue.

“Staging Success” will be shown again tonight at 9 p.m. on WVIZ.